This image, taken in the Summer of 2012 shows concrete pylons of the new Innerbelt Bridge construction rising behind the existing span.

In September of 2009, plans were announced to replace the fifty-year-old Innerbelt Bridge with two five-lane bridges for east- and westbound traffic. One of only a handful of places in the country where three highways meet, the Innerbelt plays a vital role in Cleveland's economy. One hundred and forty thousand vehicles per day cross the Cuyahoga on the I-90 span, an aging structure supported by beams judged to be in critical condition. Construction is well underway on the first of the two planned bridges, which upon completion in 2013 will handle traffic in both directions so that the old Innerbelt Bridge can be demolished. As recently as last winter, statewide budget woes seemed to indicate a lengthy delay before the project could be completed; however, Gov. John Kasich and Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jerry Wray announced in August a new plan to fund the construction of the second bridge, with anticipated completion in the fall of 2016.